Smile, Please
by Clover-tan
Summary: 'Never give up, as long as you have something worth living for." She always tried to reach out to him, but he kept on pushing her away. But now, as he gradually comes to realize his feelings towards her, it might just be too late. Oneshot. KidxMaka.


**Smile, Please**

-Kid's POV-

Living without meaning, moving down a path that doesn't exist.

That was my life.

I stared at the test sheet that Professor Stein had passed to me.

_Another 100._

"Kid!" Maka, my cheerful and slightly annoying classmate shouted at me with a wave of her hand as she approached me. "So, what did you get?" she asked eagerly.

I sighed.

_It's her again._

I showed her the sheet, causing her to gasp in shock and look at her own sheet.

"Wow, beat me again, huh?" she remarked in awe.

I stared at her with a blank, unimpressed expression. "Why are you trying so hard to beat me?" I asked out of sheer boredom. I didn't understand why she was continuously pestering me, even though I made it clear that I hated having her around me.

_Just give up already._

To my bewilderment, she simply grinned and confidently replied, "That's because you motivate me into doing my best!"

"You've misunderstood," I plainly stated, as I tried to hide my feelings of surprise from her abrupt statement.. "I'm not doing anything to try and motivate you. That's all in your head," I bluntly pointed out and pointed a finger at my head to symbolise what I was saying. I expected and wanted her to get mad and walk away, but surprisingly, she didn't. Instead, her smile widened, as if she was expecting that reaction.

"I know," she replied. "But that's not going to stop me from trying."

I frowned. She made no sense whatsoever.

"Aren't you frustrated that you've never beat me before?" I questioned in an attempt to anger her. "It clearly shows that your hard work bears no fruit so why don't you just give up?" I bitterly suggested, wanting her to leave me alone.

"Never, I'll never do that!" she suddenly exclaimed, causing me to flinch in surprise. "As long as I have something worth living for, I will never give up!" she stated confidently.

My eyes widened in awe and I couldn't help but feel captivated as I continued to stare at her wilful expression.

_What goes on in that head of hers?_

From that day on, I found myself unwittingly getting dragged deeper and deeper into Maka Albarn's colourful world.

As the weeks went by, I realized that I was feeling less irritated by her insistence on joining me on class activities and nonsensical things such as walking down the hallway.

In fact, somewhere deep down inside me, I think I was beginning to enjoy her company.

Maybe I was just too stubborn to admit it.

"Kid! Let's eat lunch together!"

I stiffened in surprise as Maka called out to me from the cafeteria and walked over to me. "W-why do you want to eat lunch with _me_?" I asked nervously and averted my eyes from her face.

_This weird sensation that I'm suddenly feeling… what is it?_

"Friends usually eat lunch together, right?" she simply explained and placed her tray on the table.

"I don't remember asking you to be my friend," I pointed out.

"Well, you didn't have to since I already am your friend," she stated with a grin.

I immediately turned to face another direction as my cheeks suddenly flushed and I felt a strange rush of heat surge across my body.

_Why am I feeling this way?_

_Or… Could it be?_

"Maka."

"Yeah?" She poked a hole through her carton of apple juice with a straw.

"Do you remember… when you said that as long as you have something worth living for, you will never give up?" I questioned.

She nodded. "Yeah, why?"

There was a short pause as I tried to gather up the courage to ask her, "What is that 'something'?"

To my surprise and bewilderment, she immediately stopped sipping her drink and blushed uncontrollably.

_What…?_

"I, er…" she stuttered as she averted my eyes from my fixated stare. "Um, that is…"

_What? What is it?_

Just then, she noticed something and her eyes became hooked on it, making me curious enough to turn around to see what it was that had caught her complete and utter attention.

Soul Eater Evans.

_Could it be…?_

I turned to face her and realized that although we were still conversing, her eyes will still fixated on him. "You…"

She blushed intensely and hesitantly nodded. "Y-yeah."

Immediately after witnessing that nod, my mouth dried up and I felt as if the air around me had disappeared. I was crushed.

"… I see."

And then it all made sense to me.

_I'm in love with her._

I felt as if I was dying, as if I was drowning in a pool of water.

_I guess this is what unrequited love feels like._

Nevertheless, I forced a smile.

Strangely enough, the first time I smiled was when I was suffering from the worst pain of my life.

Maka's eyes widened in surprise and awe as she gazed at my expression and remarked in disbelief, "Kid, you're… smiling?"

"Heh… I guess I am."

"W-why, all of a sudden…"

At that moment, all of my questions were answered and I the heavy burden that I'd been carrying all my life was lifted. "I've found it," I stated.

She frowned in confusion. "Found what?"

"That 'something worth living for', I've found it."

I chuckled in relief.

_A mixture of heartbreak and joy… what a strange feeling._

She gasped in surprise. "So, that means… You're in love with someone, too?" she assumed.

I found myself widening my smile as I boldly nodded.

To my surprise, she suddenly got up from her seat, took my hand and squeezed it tightly with a self-assured grin. "In that case, let's both work hard to reach for that 'something'!"

I was taken aback by her sudden eagerness, but then again, this was the kind of person Maka was.

And it was what made me fall in love with her.

I rose from my seat and nodded.

"I will."

Living without meaning, moving down a path that doesn't exist.

That was my life.

Until she found me.

'Never give up, as long as you have something worth living for'.

For me, that 'something' was love.

That love was Maka.

And I wasn't planning on giving up.


End file.
